Episode 32 - Stern's 'Miracle' Year
Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
58 min
Summary
Stern's 1980 lineup of nine pinball games, led by Harry Williams designs, defined the company's legacy and collector market.
Alan and Alex from Wedgehead Pinball Podcast discuss Stern Electronics' 1980 'Miracle Year,' a remarkable 12-month stretch when the company released nine pinball machines, nearly all of which became highly sought-after collector pieces. The episode features guest Ty Palmer analyzing iconic titles like Galaxy, Ali, Big Game, Seawitch, and Quicksilver: all designed by Harry Williams or Joe Joos Jr..: exploring their gameplay mechanics, design philosophy, art packages, and lasting impact on the pinball industry. Key themes include the superstition around green playfields, the design innovations of Harry Williams, George Gomez's later redesign of Seawitch into The Beatles, and the rarity and secondary market value of these early Stern Electronics solid-state machines.
Highlights
- Stern Electronics produced nine machines in 1980, all of which were successful and are now highly sought-after by collectors
- Galaxy was designed by Harry Williams and released in January 1980, making it the first game of the Miracle Year
- Ali was designed by Harry Williams and released in March 1980, produced nearly 3,000 units
- Big Game was designed by Harry Williams and released in March 1980
- Seawitch was designed by Mike Kubin, released May 1980, with 2,500 units produced
- Quicksilver by Joe Joos Jr.. was released June 1980 with only 1,200 units produced
- George Gomez redesigned Seawitch into The Beatles for modern Stern Pinball, making significant gameplay changes to simplify difficulty
- There is a superstition in the pinball industry that green playfields are bad luck, originating from poor sales of green games in the 1980s
- George Gomez actively avoids using green on his game playfields due to the green game superstition
- Keith Elwin designed Godzilla and Jurassic Park, both featuring predominantly green color schemes despite the superstition
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